Incentives to attract new Biology teachers as 50% more future secondary teachers accept training places in Wales

Wednesday, 14 October 2020 00:01

Incentives to train to teach Biology increased to address fall in teacher numbers 200 more trainee teachers accept places on PGCE courses this year, an increase of over 50% Teacher pay rises confirmed today, including rise of 8.48% to the minimum main pay range The Welsh Government will today announce that increased incentives will be offered to attract more Biology teachers from next year. In the last five...Request free trial

Incentives to train to teach Biology increased to address fall in teacher numbers
200 more trainee teachers accept places on PGCE courses this year, an increase of over 50%
Teacher pay rises confirmed today, including rise of 8.48% to the minimum main pay range

The Welsh Government will today announce that increased incentives will be offered to attract more Biology teachers from next year. In the last five years, Biology has fallen into the bottom five subjects for the number of applications per teacher post.

Trainee Biology PGCE teachers will be able to access additional support of up to £20,000, for graduates with a first class or a Master’s degree. Other subjects which attract the highest incentives include Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Welsh.

The Iaith Athrawon Yfory incentive scheme, for Welsh-medium teachers, will also continue, offering incentives of up to £5,000, meaning trainee teachers can receive up to £25,000 in total.

Initial indications of recruitment to full time Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes show that over 200 more students have accepted offers to study to become secondary teachers this year. There were 690 acceptances of places in August 2020, compared to 449 in August 2019.

The Welsh Government will also confirm pay increases for teachers today, backdated to 1 September, with rises of at least 2.75% for all teachers. The Welsh Government will provide over £5.5 million to local authorities to support the cost of the pay award this year.

Speaking ahead of a policy briefing on teacher recruitment and retention today, the Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, said:

“Priority subject incentive schemes help attract high quality professionals to the teaching workforce. I’m pleased to be able to continue the incentives and raise the maximum support to attract new Biology teachers, to respond to the increased demand.

“I’m also pleased that indications are that recruitment to our full time training programmes has increased by 200 this year, strengthening our teacher workforce in Wales further.

“I would also like to confirm today the uplift of pay to reward our highly skilled and hardworking teachers in Wales. We have continued to diverge from the proposals in England by awarding teachers in Wales higher starting pay and introducing some key changes, such as experience-based pay progression and national statutory pay scales. This will help promote teaching as a profession of choice for graduates and career changers.”

Notes to editors

Priority Subject Incentive Scheme for student teachers entering ITE in AY2021/22

		Previous Degree Classification & Amount (£) Eligible for
	Attracts Incentive?	1^st / Masters / PhD	2.1 / Primary-Supplementary*	2.2
Primary
Primary Under Grad	N	0	0	n/a
Primary PGCE	Y	3000	3000	n/a

Secondary
Art	Y	3000	0	0
Biology	Y	20000	10000	6000
Business Studies	Y	3000	0	0
Chemistry1	Y	20000	10000	6000
Design and Technology	Y	3000	0	0
Drama	Y	3000	0	0
English	Y	3000	0	0
Geography	Y	3000	0	0
History	Y	3000	0	0
Information Technology	Y	20000	10000	6000
Mathematics	Y	20000	10000	6000
Modern Languages	Y	15000	6000	0
Music	Y	3000	0	0
Other (Outdoor)	Y	3000	0	0
Physical Education	Y	3000	0	0
Physics1	Y	20000	10000	6000
Religious Education	Y	3000	0	0
Welsh	Y	20000	10000	6000

Iaith Athrawon Yfory

The Iaith Athrawon Yfory Incentive Scheme is an incentive paid to eligible persons who complete an accredited secondary postgraduate ITE programme in Wales that enables them to teach through the medium of Welsh or teach Welsh as a subject.

A total of £5000 for eligible student teachers paid in two instalments:

£2,500 for eligible persons on completion of an eligible secondary postgraduate ITE programme in Wales leading to QTS;
£2,500 for eligible persons on successful completion of induction at a maintained Welsh-medium or bilingual secondary school or teaching Welsh in any maintained secondary setting in Wales

September 2020 teacher pay award

i. a 8.48% uplift has been applied to the minimum of the Teacher Main Pay Range.

ii. a 3.75% uplift has been applied to the statutory maxima of the main pay range.

iii. 2.75% uplift has been applied to the statutory minima and maxima of the upper pay range.

iv. a 2.75% uplift has been applied to the statutory minima and maxima of the leading practitioner pay range, the unqualified teachers’ pay range, the leadership pay ranges (including headteacher groups) and all allowances across all pay ranges.

v. Statutory national pay scales have been reintroduced for all pay points on the Teacher Main Pay Range, Teacher Upper Pay Range, Unqualified Teachers’ Pay Range and Leadership Pay Ranges.

vi. In accordance with their own pay policy, schools should ensure a 2.75% uplift across interim pay points of the leading practitioner pay range and teacher allowances to match the uplift to the national framework in making individual pay progression decisions.

All pay uplifts will be from 1 September 2020.